He felt cold. Why was he cold? He opened his eyes. He was outside? A bright blue sky with wisps of clouds dominated his view. Turning his head he could make out some odd-shaped stones in a ring around where he lay. Beyond that, he could see the tops of trees. It appeared that he was on a slight hill.

He didn't remember coming here. He didn't even know where here was. He started to panic, sitting up and looking around frantically. He didn't even know what he was looking around for, just something, anything.

There, stacked by one of the rocks was something. He got to his feet and walked over. As he got closer he recognized it, a crate of some sort. It was made from what looked like wood. The crate was held shut with a latch and a book sat atop it. There was something stuck to the cover of the book. He knew what it was, it was a yellow sticky note. Why did he know what that was but couldn't remember who he was?

He pulled the note from the book.

Read First

The words were written in bold and underlined on the note. He turned it over, there was nothing else. He assumed they wanted him to read the book first. Looking around and not seeing any other option except opening the crate, he did as the note asked.

He picked up the beautifully bound book, admiring the gold inlaid script that seemed to flow across its surface.

A beginner guide to the world of Halcion and the introduction to the skill system.

He thought the title was a bit wordy. At least now he knew the name of the world. It seemed like something he should be able to remember. It wasn't the same type of sensation he felt when he tried to remember his name though.

He opened the cover, someone had signed it.

From the Creator XOXO

Obviously, it was from the creator of the book. Who else would sign a book? He sighed and flipped to the first page.

Greetings, I guess you are wondering how you got here? Well, that's a long story and unfortunately, I was pressed by time. Suffice it to say that you are on the world of Halcion, on the continent of Nolatva, or so the locals call it. I sent you here to be my agent. Not a spy or anything, just someone to help me with a task I am unable to accomplish myself as I am a bit busy. There is an evil presence in the world that will stop at nothing until it infects everything. Your job isn't to stop this evil, that would be ridiculous. I only need you to locate it. I can take it from there.

Since you weren't born in this universe I had to do a bit of fudging with the numbers to get you to a point that you would be able to keep up with the locals. A bit more on that shall we.

Until humans hit the age of sixteen they can continue to grow their base stats. Stuff like constitution, dexterity, intuition, and willpower. The reason people train up these base stats until they hit sixteen is that they can never lose these stats as they age. They can always continue to train after but even the most diligent person will grow weaker of the body and mind as they age.

Of course, not everyone has the luxury to spend all day training. Take you, for example, you were essentially just reborn here at the age of maturity. If I left you at your base stats you would be lucky to survive a fight against a toddler. So for that reason, I set your base stats to ten and gave you twenty points to distribute as you saw fit. This will put you up towards the upper echelon of society as far as stats are concerned. These are the stats you will never lose as you age so choose well.

Now you might be thinking, why do I need these stats. Well, other than the fact that they help you live a happier healthier life, they also play a key role in your skill development. Each skill has a base stat associated with it as well as skill points. Ten multiplied by the attribute of that skill determines how many points per hour you can earn towards that skill.

My power is weakening and drawing too much attention so I must cut this short. Inside the chest are some gear and a few skill books to get you started. I have also given you my blessing, but it is finite so try to avoid using it if you can. You're a smart lad I think you can figure out the rest. Head East to find the nearest town. Good luck.

Just like that, the book vanished, one second he had been reading it the next it was gone. A loud clap of thunder shook the sunny sky and he flinched reflexively.

He was more confused than ever. He turned to the only other thing in the clearing, the crate. Upon opening it he found what looked like a leather bit of armor to cover the torso. A sword that he thought might be a short sword. He tested the edge lightly with his thumb, it was razor-sharp. He stuck the bleeding digit into his mouth until it stopped.

Why would he need a sword and armor? He looked around the clearing again, not seeing any signs of hostile life. He was already wearing some clothes. He never recalled seeing these clothes before but they fit him well. He figured he might as well put on the armor and weapon just to be safe. The armor sported a few sandwiched metal plates, held in place by rivets, over important spots. It looked like it was designed to cover the heart and lungs.

At the bottom of the crate was a backpack filled with food and water, along with a sleeping bag. He guessed it must be a few days to this town then. Below that were five thin leather-bound books. He picked up the first reading the cover.

Ice Arrow

'Weird name for a book.'

The next one read.

Multitasking

He read the last three.

Bladed Weapons

Light Armor

Minor Heal

He figured the bladed weapon book might be the best to start off with. Perhaps that way he wouldn't injure himself while holding the sword. Try as he might he couldn't get the cover to open. He repeated this with the other four books to the same outcome.

"What the heck, why won't they open?"

Did he miss something? He looked back into the crate and found a card at the bottom, that he was pretty sure wasn't there before.

It read system primer on it. He went to pick it up and as soon as he touched it his mind seemed to expand.

Congratulations, you have reached the age of maturity and are now authorized to access skill books. To check your status please close your eyes and meditate.

He didn't have to do this as the card knocked him out, allowing him to access the system.

Charles "Chuck" Higgins

Age 16

Constitution: 10

Dexterity: 10

Intuition: 10

Willpower: 10

He finally knew his name, he vaguely recalled people calling him Chuck, and also up Chuck? He wasn't sure what that last memory meant. He also saw the twenty points waiting to be assigned. How or where should he assign them?

Should he just put five points in each stat? Would that be right or wrong? He had so many questions and so few answers, it was distressing. He took a deep breath. Trying to will more information to show itself as he concentrated on a stat. It worked.

Constitution is the overall body's strength and resiliency. Those with high constitutions tend to live longer healthier lives.

That sounded good, he definitely wanted to live a long healthy life.

Check checked the others.

Dexterity is the body's ability to move and balance. Those with high dexterity can balance on wires and avoid attacks.

Intuition is the ability to see past the veil. Those with high intuition can work magical wonders both awe-inspiring and terrible.

Willpower is the power of the mind. Those with high willpower can endure when all others have failed.

It sounded like they were all amazing but he had a feeling if he split his points it wouldn't be all that effective. Chuck exited his system menu. He had to blink his eyes a few times before he sat up again. Perhaps the books he received would help point him in a direction.

Chuck started with the weapon skill.

Name: Bladed Weapons

Rarity: Common

Level: 0 - 5

Type: Purchased

Stat: Dexterity

SP to Next level: 50

Description: At level one, you probably won't injure yourself while holding the weapon.

Do you wish to train this skill? Y/N

He chose no, Chuck wanted to look at the rest first.

Name: Light Armor

Rarity: Common

Level: 0 - 5

Status: Passive

Stat: Constitution

SP to Next level: 30

Description: Reduces the fatigue and movement speed penalties of wearing light armor by 10%.

He would have to figure out what status meant later.

Name: Minor Heal

Rarity: Rare

Level: 0 - 1

Status: Active

Stat: Intuition

SP to Next level: 1000

Description: Heal's minor scrapes and bruises.

That seemed like a waste for a thousand skill points. Chuck wondered if it was so high because of the spells rarity. It also had an active status.

Name: Ice Arrow

Rarity: Common

Level: 0 - 5

Damage Type: Ice/Piercing

Status: Active

Stat: Intuition

Range: 20m

SP to Next level: 50

Description: This skill causes an icy projectile to fly from the casters hand. Has a low chance of piercing light armor.

This skill came with a damage type and a range. He quickly checked the last skill.

Name: Multitasking

Rarity: Unique

Level: 0 - 5

Modifier: At level 1, plus 1 skill

Modifier Description: Additional skill trains at 50% speed.

Stat: Willpower

SP to Next level: 1000

Description: Allows the user the ability to train multiple skills at the same time.

Did that mean other people could only train one skill at a time? Chuck focused on the Unique classification to hopefully bring up a description.

Unique: These skills are one of a kind.

Chuck did some math. For level one of that skill, it would take him a hundred hours, if he left willpower at ten. If he bumped it up to twenty... no wait, that wasn't right. Why was he so bad with math. With a ten willpower, it meant he earned 100 SP an hour. Ten hours seemed more logical anyway. That meant half an hour to learn Ice Arrow and the sword skill. With a little under 20 minutes for the armor.

He was leaning towards bumping his intuition up to take advantage of the two skills that used it. He definitely needed more points in willpower also. The armor and weapon skills were easy enough to train without upping those stats but he remembered the book saying these were his base stats for life. Sure he could raise them, but how?

Chuck sat there on the crate deliberating for quite some time before he finally decided. He closed his eyes to see his status.

Charles "Chuck" Higgins

Age 16

Constitution: 13

Dexterity: 13

Intuition: 17

Willpower: 17

Skills: N/A

He just didn't know enough to risk not putting at least a few points in every stat. He figured this was the best distribution he could come up with. With that done he finally felt confident enough to start training the skills.

He started with the light armor skill. It should only take a little under 14 minutes. He was pleasantly surprised to see a countdown timer appear when he started the skill. At least he wouldn't have to count seconds to keep track.

He sat on the box and waited for the skill to finish. There was no bell to let him know the skill had completed but he did feel the rush of knowledge fill his head.

He now understood how to better secure his armor. It needed to be tight and not loose like he was wearing it now. He stood up and tightened the straps as best he could. He trained the sword skill next. It took almost twice as long. He decided to eat and drink some since he was starting to get hungry. The field with the hill and ring of stones was as quiet as it was when he arrived.

Chuck decided to take a closer look at the surrounding forest while the skill finished. It was a dense jungle-like forest. As he got closer he could hear a cacophony of sounds that were muted while he was on the hill. He didn't see any signs of habitation or passage, not that he knew what to look for. He just thought he would know it if he saw signs. The skill finished as he made his way around the clearing. He now understood how to hold a sword properly. Or the basics of it anyway.

Next, he trained ice arrow. He wanted at least a few options if he needed to defend himself. He had taken the time to figure out what some of the stats meant as well. The active status just meant he had to actively will the power to activate. Passive just meant it was always there in the background, doing whatever it did. He also noticed some skills didn't have a status. It made sense, why would knowledge of how to hold a sword be active or passive.

He would train multitasking next, mostly because he wanted to get that heal trained up but he didn't want it to block his ability to train his other skills that may be more important in the short term. He understood the power of the multitasking skill. Even at level one, it allowed him to train fifty percent faster. What would level five be like?

Ice arrow finished while he was thinking. It felt like a cold bucket of water had been dumped into his mind, and he understood magic.

He was giddy with excitement, he didn't even know why. He wanted to test the spell out right away. The only targets he had were the rocks, standing quietly sentinel about the top of the hill or the trees at the edge of the forest. He decided to use the rocks, he didn't want the noise to attract any unwanted attention.

He closed his eyes and reviewed the spell in his mind. Then focusing on the rock fifteen feet away he wove the required spell matrix in his mind as he flung his hand out. An icy spear about a foot in length leaped from his outstretched hand. It flew through the air as an arrow fired from a bow, impacting the rock and bursting into icy shards that glittered as they melted in the warm sun.

Chuck repeated this process a few more times until he started to feel light-headed. He plopped down on the crate before he fell over. Magic must have a cost, or maybe it was like a muscle that you had to train to get stronger. He could test the theory later. Right now he just wanted to rest. He pulled out the sleeping bag, set his sword beside him, and went to sleep.